“Miel sobre hojuelas” is a dicho which is similar in meaning to the English saying “icing on the cake” and “No todo es miel sobre hojuelas” is similar in meaning to the English saying “It’s not all fun and games.” I searched online newspapers and found the dichos were both used in Mexican newspapers, but I don’t think the dichos are used in El Salvador, or at least Carlos said he isn’t familiar with them.

Anyway, if you’re an hermano lejano*, or just otherwise not anywhere you can buy hojuelas, below is a recipe to make your own!

[*”Hermano lejano” is an endearing term meaning “faraway brother” which is used by Salvadorans in El Salvador to refer to Salvadorans who live abroad.]

Tip: I originally separated the dough into 8 balls, but soon realized that once rolled out these hojuelas (while traditionally sold on the street this large), would be too big to properly fry in my frying pan. So please, in the next step when you roll them out, make sure you’re not making them too big to fit in the frying pan you plan to use.

4. With a floured rolling pin, roll out each ball until very thin. (Ideally the dough should be rolled out thinner than a flour tortilla. It’s okay if it’s not perfectly circular, and it’s okay if the dough tears a little. They don’t have to be perfect!)

Tip: Keep your rolled out hojuelas from sticking to each other by separating them with parchment paper.

5. Over medium-high heat in a large frying pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. The oil should be at least a 1/4 inch deep. (Deeper is better, but I personally hate wasting so much cooking oil.)

6. Carefully fry the hojuelas one-by-one until nicely browned on each side, flipping with tongs as necessary.

7. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain off excess oil. If sprinkling with sugar instead of serving with miel, sprinkle them while still hot.

Disclosure: Latinaish.com has partnered with McCormick to bring you recipes using McCormick products. As always, all opinions are my own.

It may surprise some to know that chicken salad is popular in many countries throughout the world, although its ingredients vary from what those of us in the United States consider the norm. A few variations I know of:

• Goi Ga from Vietnam features cabbage, fish sauce, spicy chilies, and mint.
• Dak-Nangchae from Korea is eaten in the summer and incorporates plenty of colorful vegetables.
• Ensalada de Pollo from Mexico is often eaten on Saltine crackers.
• Coronation chicken salad from England features curry powder and mango chutney, and was first made in 1953 for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation lunch.
• Peruvian and Chilean “palta a la reina” is chicken salad served atop an avocado half.
• Salpicão de Frango from Brazil includes apple, carrot, raisins, and olives.
• And then there’s Salad Olivie, which is believed to be the origin of chicken salads and Russian salads. Also known as Salad Olivier or Olivier Salad, these days it’s usually a combination of chicken, potato, egg, green peas, and mayonnaise with endless variations, but when it was invented in the 1860’s by a restaurant chef named Lucien Olivier in Russia, it was made with fancier ingredients such as grouse, capers, caviar, and smoked duck in a dressing which was a closely guarded secret. Modern versions of this salad are popular throughout Eastern Europe, as well as in Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Mongolia, and beyond.

With all these different types of chicken salad from around the world I shouldn’t have been so surprised when Carlos first told me that chicken salad is also popular in El Salvador, specifically at children’s birthday parties.

Carlos remembers attending many birthday parties in his neighborhood as a little boy and looking forward to being handed a chicken salad sandwich wrapped in a white paper napkin when he walked through the door. When he shared this memory with me, I decided to try to recreate the birthday party sandwiches of his childhood. With his input, this is the recipe I developed and he says it tastes just right!

Using quality chicken breasts which are slow-simmered with fresh vegetables ensures the meat is moist and flavorful. Shredded and mixed with McCormick Mayonnaise with Lime Juice which adds traditional sabor, spices, and a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce – this chicken salad tastes even better chilled and eaten the next day, but it’ll be difficult to wait. Spoon it onto slices of soft, white bread and cut off the crusts if you like. However you eat it, this Salvadoran-style chicken salad is yummy enough to serve at birthday parties, but easy enough that you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to whip up a batch for your family.

1. Add first seven ingredients to a large pot over medium high heat with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil then reduce heat so it’s at a slow simmer. Cover loosely. Adjust heat lower if needed to keep it at a simmer until chicken is cooked through.

Tip: Avoid boiling or over-cooking the chicken as this will result in the meat being dry. Simmering keeps the meat moister. Short on time? Use chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts – they cook faster!

2. Remove chicken to a plate to cool. Once cool, shred by hand into small bite-size pieces and place into a large bowl.

3. Mix the mayonnaise, mustard, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce until well combined in a medium-sized bowl.

4. In the large bowl mix the mayonnaise mixture a little at a time into shredded chicken until desired creaminess is achieved. I found it tastes best to use about 1/3 cup mayonnaise mixture for every 1 cup shredded chicken.

5. Chill for at least one hour or overnight to allow flavors to combine. Serve chicken salad between slices of white bread.

Optional: Add slices of cucumber, a leaf of romaine lettuce, or whatever toppings you like to the sandwich. Some people also like to cut off the crusts and wrap each sandwich in a napkin when serving at parties.

Día de los Muertos is only days away. Where did the month of October go? I haven’t done half of the things I love to do this time of year, but I have gotten my altar set up. I just have a few more things I need to add to the ofrenda to make it complete. Have you started setting up yours? Do you usually include a pan de muerto? I’ve actually never made pan de muerto but NESTLÉ® contacted me with this recipe this week so I think I might give it a go. Here it is if you decide to make one too!

2. HEAT evaporated milk, water and butter over low heat in medium saucepan until mixture reaches 115 to 120 F. and butter is melted. (If too hot, let it cool a bit before adding to dry ingredients.)

3. MAKE a well in the center of the flour mixture; pour in milk mixture. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until blended.

4. ADD eggs and 1 1/2 cups flour; mix well. Gradually add remaining 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups flour (1/2 cup at a time) mixing well after each addition until dough is smooth but not sticky (You may not need all the flour).

5. PLACE dough on lightly floured surface; knead 10 to 15 minutes or until dough is moderately stiff, smooth and elastic. Additional flour may be needed to help prevent sticking.

6. PLACE dough in large greased bowl; turn over. Cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for 60 to 75 minutes or until doubled in size.

7. PUNCH dough down.

8. CUT dough into 4 equal portions to make 3 “loaves” and 1 for decorations.

9. SHAPE 3 of the portions into round loaves on lightly floured surface, kneading as necessary. Place on greased baking sheet(s). Keep all dough portions covered with greased plastic wrap to prevent drying of dough.

11. TO DECORATE, place 1 small ball on top of round loaf, surrounding each ball with the remaining decorations. To adhere shapes to dough, gently score decorations, as well as areas on each loaf that decorations will be attached to. Adhere with dabs of water.

12. LOOSELY COVER with greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temperature for another 30 minutes or until nearly doubled.

1. COMBINE 1/2 cup sugar and orange juice in small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until syrup is formed, about 5 minutes. (Mixture may bubble up; remove from heat if it does, stir and then return to heat.) Remove from heat.

Final touches:

1. BRUSH loaves with syrup.

2. SPRINKLE with sugar; return to oven. Continue baking for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

3. TIP: Sprinkle colored sugar on loaves.

This recipe has been published here with permission from NESTLÉ®. This is not a sponsored post. No compensation was received for sharing this recipe. Recipe and photo property of NESTLÉ®.

There are precious few TV shows Carlos and I can agree on, but lately we’ve been able to add one more to our “watch together” list. I was the first to start watching The Great British Baking Show on PBS, but one day Carlos sat down next to me and started watching too. The Great British Baking Show is a reality show competition, but unlike similar American programs, the contestants are utterly charming and supportive of each other, which is something both Carlos and I love about it.

One episode we watched together involved the contestants making tarts. I don’t know much about tarts, British, or otherwise, but Carlos became nostalgic.

“I love tarts,” he said.
“When have you ever had a tart?” I asked, because I’d never seen him eat one our entire marriage.

That’s when he told me that in El Salvador, Pollo Campero, (the popular fried chicken restaurant), had “tartaletas” – specifically, tartaletas de fresa, or strawberry tarts. I asked him as many questions as I could about what they were like and decided to try to make them. After some trial and error, I ended up with the recipe below.

Since I’ve never had a tartaleta from Pollo Campero, I can’t tell you if these taste the same, and Carlos hasn’t had one for over 20 years, so all he could tell me was that he loved how these turned out. That’s good enough for me. If you want to give them a try, let me know what you think!

Vanilla Custard (for tartaleta filling)

1. In a blender add milk, sugar, egg yolks and cornstarch. Blend for 15 to 30 seconds until well combined.

2. Pour the mixture into a large pot over medium heat. Add vanilla extract.

3. Stir regularly until the mixture thickens. Don’t be too quick to remove it from the stove. You want it to be the texture of pudding. After 5 minutes, if it isn’t thickening, turn the heat up a little and stir a little less regularly, but be careful not to let it cook to the bottom of the pot or you’ll have lumps in the custard.

4. Remove from heat. Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to assemble the tarts.

Note: This recipe makes far more custard than you’ll need for the tarts. Feel free to eat the leftovers served up in bowls plain or with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Alternatively, you could halve the custard recipe so you don’t have so much left over.

4. Divide dough into four equal portions. Place each portion in a 4-inch round tart pan. Use fingers dipped in flour to press the dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of the tart pans. Don’t handle the dough any more than necessary.

5. Place each tart pan in its own sandwich-size plastic zipper bag, and place them into the freezer for 10 minutes to chill.

6. Remove each tart from the plastic bags. Place the tarts on a baking sheet and then place them in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 10 minutes.

Tip: Use the back of a spoon to carefully deflate any bubbles that pop up during baking.

7. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on each tart crust and bake for another 5-7 minutes, or until edges start to turn golden brown.

8. Remove from oven and cool completely.

9. Don’t assemble the tartaletas until ready to serve, (or if you assemble them and put them in the fridge, plan to serve them soon.) When ready to serve the tartaletas, assemble like so:

Carefully remove each tart crust from its pan, and place onto a small plate. Spoon an even layer of custard filling onto each tart crust. Top with sliced strawberries, or other fruit of your choosing. (Other suggestions: raspberries, blackberries, peaches, blueberries, and/or kiwi.)

Disclosure: Latinaish.com has partnered with Nestlé to bring you recipes usingNestlé products. As always, all opinions are my own.

Mangoneadas are a Mexican treat combining mango sorbet, a sour, spicy, salty red sauce called chamoy, and chili powder. With these Nestlé Outshine mango fruit bars made with real fruit juice you can whip up mangoneadas for the whole family for a refreshing summer snack within minutes. These are perfect for your next family gathering or BBQ!

5 Minute Mangoneada

REMOVE stick from one Outshine fruit bar and chop the bar into bite size chunks.

ADD the fruit bar chunks to a small drinking glass. If using fresh mango as well, add about ¼ cup fresh mango chunks and mix so they’re combined and not separate layers.

SPRINKLE Tajín on top of the fruit bar chunks, to your personal tastes.

DRIBBLE chamoy on top of fruit bar chunks. (About 2 tablespoons or to personal tastes.)

SQUEEZE a wedge of lime over top.

SERVE immediately.

Tip: Chamoy can be found in the hot sauce section of most large international markets with Latin American food.

=====GIVEAWAY CLOSED. WINNER SELECTED.======

Giveaway Details

Prize description: One lucky winner will receive a $50 gift card.

How to enter: Just leave a comment below! (Please read official rules below before entering.)

Official Rules: No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years of age or older to enter. You must be able to provide a U.S. address for prize shipment. Your name and address will only be shared with the PR agency responsible for prize fulfillment for that purpose. Please no P.O. Boxes. One entry per household. Make sure that you enter a valid email address in the email address field so you can be contacted if you win. Winner will be selected at random. Winner has 24 hours to respond. If winner does not respond within 24 hours, a new winner will be selected at random. Giveaway entries are being accepted between May 20th, 2015 through May 25th, 2015. Entries received after May 25th, 2015 at 11:59 pm EST, will not be considered. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. If you win, by accepting the prize, you are agreeing that Latinaish.com assumes no liability for damages of any kind. By entering your name below you are agreeing to these Official Rules. Void where prohibited by law.

Disclosure: Latinaish.com has partnered with Nestlé to bring you recipes usingNestlé products. As always, all opinions are my own.

The “Carajillo Quemado” is a classic Spanish mixed coffee drink and the inspiration for these cupcakes. Some of you may be more familiar with the Carajillos made in Mexico, which are simply a mix of espresso and Licor 43, which is often served iced, but in Spain the drink is made differently with a few variations.

There’s plenty of interesting folklore about this drink. It’s said that the word “Carajillo” derived from the Spanish word for courage (coraje), because when Spanish troops occupied Cuba, that’s exactly what they needed for combat. Still others say the name originated from the boat carriers at the French station in Barcelona. They would ask for a mixed glass of coffee and liquor instead of two separate drinks, presumably because they were in a hurry, or “que ara quillo” (“now I’m leaving in a hurry” in Catalan.) This phrase, when rushed, would sound like “caraquillo”, which is where we’d eventually got “Carajillo.”

Interesting, no?

In Spain, the simplest version of this drink is just brandy, cognac, anisette, or rum, mixed into strong black coffee – sugar optional. The “Carajillo Quemado” – or “burnt” Carajillo, is much more interesting. Sugar and alcohol along with a bit of lemon peel are mixed in a glass and lit on fire. The coffee is added to put the fire out once much of the alcohol has been burnt off and the sugar has been given a caramelized flavor. In the United States Carajillos typically have sugar around the rim of the glass and the drink is topped off with whipped cream. Cinnamon is also sometimes incorporated in both the Spanish and American versions.

I couldn’t resist developing a cupcake which combines these unique flavors, so I started with a coffee-flavored cupcake as the base. Nescafé Clásico provided the perfect roasted coffee flavor I was going for while being mild enough that it would play nicely with all the other flavors I planned to incorporate. A decadent combination of rum, coffee and buttercream was an obvious choice for the frosting, along with a pinch of fresh lemon zest.

Now for the caramelized sugar flavor. While I briefly considered sprinkling the cupcakes with sugar and rum then lighting them on fire, I decided I’m a little too accident prone to attempt it! (My eyebrows thank me.) Instead, I made caramelized sugar toppings which really gave the cupcakes an elegant touch. I’m sure any mother will appreciate if you decide to make these cupcakes for Día de Los Madres (Mother’s Day!)

Here’s my recipe if you decide to treat your madre (or yourself!) and then down below, enter for your chance to win a $50 gift card from Nestlé!

MIX Nescafé Clásico crystals into evaporated milk until completely dissolved, then add to the frosting mixture, beating until combined.

FROST cooled cupcakes using a pastry bag and tip as desired.

TOP each cupcake with a pinch of fresh lemon zest and a caramelized sugar garnish. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Tip: As cinnamon is sometimes incorporated into Carajillos, feel free to add a tiny dash of ground cinnamon to your frosted cupcakes as well!

Caramelized Sugar Garnish for Carajillo Quemado Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar

Directions:

HEAT sugar over medium heat in a large frying pan.

WAIT for most of the sugar to melt and become almost amber in color before stirring. Be patient as this process can take several minutes. Avoid the temptation to stir or turn the heat higher. While waiting, lay parchment paper out on a nearby clean kitchen counter.

STIR the melted, caramelized sugar with a wooden spoon, being careful to remove from heat before it burns.

USE a metal spoon to carefully drizzle small amounts of the caramelized sugar onto a parchment paper-covered surface, in whatever design desired. You must work somewhat quickly as the caramelized sugar in the pan will begin to harden.

WHEN cool the caramelized sugar designs will harden and you will be able to pick them up from the parchment paper. Use these as an edible garnish for your frosted cupcakes.

Tip: Because of the burn dangers of working with hot, melted sugar, make sure that pets and children are not in the kitchen while preparing caramelized sugar garnishes. If the remaining caramelized sugar hardens in your frying pan, you can remove it by simply adding a little water and heating it back up.

=== GIVEAWAY CLOSED. CONGRATS to HS! ===

Giveaway Details

Prize description: One lucky winner will receive a $50 gift card.

How to enter: Just leave a comment below telling me what you love most about your mother or another woman you admire. (Please read official rules below before entering.)

Official Rules: No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years of age or older to enter. You must be able to provide a U.S. address for prize shipment. Your name and address will only be shared with the PR agency responsible for prize fulfillment for that purpose. Please no P.O. Boxes. One entry per household. Make sure that you enter a valid email address in the email address field so you can be contacted if you win. Winner will be selected at random. Winner has 24 hours to respond. If winner does not respond within 24 hours, a new winner will be selected at random. Giveaway entries are being accepted between April 22, 2015 through April 27th, 2015. Entries received after April 27th, 2015 at 11:59 pm EST, will not be considered. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. If you win, by accepting the prize, you are agreeing that Latinaish.com assumes no liability for damages of any kind. By entering your name below you are agreeing to these Official Rules. Void where prohibited by law.